IDA — Labor shortages, immigration and promoting local farm products were some of the hot topics at a town hall meeting on agriculture Monday night hosted by state Rep. Dale Zorn and two other state officials.

Almost 30 growers from the county attended the nearly two-hour forum at Ida Township Hall.

Lack of workers has always been a problem, but some farms are finding it increasingly more difficult to find laborers to plant and harvest crops. Although a shortage of hired hands is not a serious problem in Monroe County, it is becoming a bigger issue for the rest of Michigan, particularly in the prime fruit-growing areas of west Michigan.

Part of the reason is the nation's crackdown on illegal immigrants and a proposed new federal regulatory program called "e-verify" that may be scaring off some potential migrant workers. The legislation is directed at public employees and contracts and doesn't include agricultural workers yet, Rep. Zorn said. However, if the bill is changed to include farming, violators and farm employers could be subject to paying heavy fines.

"I'm hearing from some vegetable processors that it may scare off legal immigrants wanting to come here," the Ida Republican said. "It's an important issue to the security of our state and nation. We pay a lot of health care for illegals."

Much of Michigan's agricultural economy is tied up in fruit production and growers can't get enough help to pick the crop, noted John Delmotte, an Ida grower.

"That issue (E-verify) came up at a meeting I was at recently," Mr. Delmotte said. "Many (farms) are having trouble now getting help. It's more oppressive than a help."

Tom Woelmer of Monroe said some migrants who are working legally are worried.

"The whole immigration system and the process for becoming a citizen is broken down," Jerry Heck, a Monroe producer, added.

Both Mr. Woelmer and other growers lamented the loss of the "green card" system formerly used in the 1980s that provided migrants legal permits to do seasonal work on farms in the state.

"It worked great at the time, but they did away with it in the '90s," said Dave Ruhlig, owner of a large produce farm in Carleton.

"Canada's model is a good system for greenhouse people. They go to the Canadian parliament, tell them how many workers they need and the government provides so many documents for them to work. After they have fulfilled their obligation, they go back to their country because many have family back there."

Roger Bezek of Maybee asked why Michigan stopped printing directories of u-pick operations and roadside stands in the state. Gordon Wenk, deputy director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, told the group that the state is working harder with the Pure Michigan campaign to market more products made in Michigan.

"There is so much name recognition across the nation, it just makes sense to tie in with Pure Michigan," Mr. Wenk said.

"There are so many great stories to tell in Michigan. We have more diversity in this state than any other state but California."

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